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Consorzio del Parmigiano Reggiano

Parmigiano Reggiano is produced exclusively in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna on the left of the river Reno and Mantua on the right of the river Po: here are concentrated the farms where the cows are fed with fodder produced in this area. The feeding of animals is carried out in compliance with a regulation that prevents the use of silage fodder, fermented food and meal of animal origin.

The production

The milk of the morning and the previous evening are poured into the typical copper boilers in the shape of an inverted bell. For each form of Parmigiano Reggiano you need about 550 liters of milk. The coagulation of the milk takes place slowly and naturally thanks to the addition of rennet and whey graft obtained from the processing of the previous day and rich in natural lactic ferments.

The curd is fragmented by the master cheesemaker into tiny grains thanks to an ancient tool called spino.

It is at this point that the fire enters the scene, for a cooking that reaches 55 degrees centigrade, at the end of which the caseous granules precipitate on the bottom of the boiler forming a single mass.

After about fifty minutes the cheesemaker extracts the caseous mass that will give life to two twin forms.

Cut into two parts and wrapped in the typical linen cloth, the cheese is placed in a fascera that will give it its final shape.

The marks of origin

Each shape is assigned a casein plate with a unique and progressive alphanumeric code: it is the identity card that at every moment and in every place makes it possible to identify its origin.

After a few hours, a special branded band affects the shape of the month and the year of production, the serial number that distinguishes the dairy and the unmistakable writing in dots on the entire circumference of the shapes.

Salting

The forms after a few days are immersed in a saturated solution of water and salt: it is a salting by osmosis. This last step concludes the production cycle of Parmigiano Reggiano and begins the maturing period.

The importance of time

Parmigiano Reggiano has a long history, but it is also a slow history, which flows at the natural rhythm of the seasons.

The minimum maturation is in fact 12 months, the longest among all PDO cheeses, and it is only at that point that it will be possible to say whether each individual form can keep the name that was imprinted on the origin and continue aging until 24, 36, 40 months and over.

The expertise

After 12 months, the experts of the Consortium check all the forms through an examination called "expertization": the shape is beaten with the hammer and the careful ear of the expert batter recognizes any internal defects that can interfere with the quality.

The shapes that are suitable are marked with the appropriate fire stamp thus becoming Parmigiano Reggiano. To the forms that do not meet the PDO requirements, the identification marks and marks are removed.

The brands of selection

The selection examination identifies three categories of cheese:

Parmigiano Reggiano "chosen": the cheese completely conforms to the indications of the production specification. It is marked with a fire stamp.

Parmigiano Reggiano "mezzano": the cheese that has some slight or medium defects in the structure of the pasta and/or on the crust, but without alterations of the typical organoleptic characteristics of the product. It is marked with a fire mark, but they are distinguished thanks to the parallel grooves that are indelibly traced on the heel of the shape.

Bleached cheese: the cheese with significant defects is de-qualified by removing the marks of origin by milling the rind (removal of a few millimeters). In this way, this cheese cannot be called Parmigiano Reggiano and can no longer have any reference to the PDO.

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Contact

Address

Viale Virgilio, 55 - 41123 Modena

Telephone

059 8860401

Emails-Website

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. https://www.parmigianoreggiano.com/it/contatti/

 

 

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